Scouts learn life skills

TWO hundred and fifty student Scouts from 19 schools are being taught leadership and survival skills at a three-day mini jamboree held at Naleba Primary School outside Labasa.

Labasa District Scouts commissioner Atesh Ram said six females were also part of the three-day camp which began on Friday.

Mr Ram said the mini jamboree was also being held to prepare students in the Labasa zone for the national jamboree which would be held later this year.

"Scouting, as we all know focuses on preparing responsible citizens and good leaders for the future," he said.

"The students are learning how to use their environment to survive and we are glad to have officers from the Sukanaivalu Army Barracks assisting us for this purpose.

"They have been learning about how to create gadgets by using things readily available to them and improvising them to make things such as tables, beds, stretchers and more."

Speaking at an exercise in Naleba Second Lieutenant Wate Aka of the Golf Company said the main purpose of their training was to assist students learn to deal with real life problems by using materials readily available to them.

Second Lt Aka said the activities were not a requirement of the scouting association but they were done for the purpose of teaching students how to respond to emergencies.